Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-05-25
nIGBEE TO WAGNER.
fRD LArfRR Oal RS sD RfrR UfrEE-
lR0 a DALiRsRArB FALsEHOOD.
eosns Spicy COrrespondence Ue'~een the su-
psrintsudent Of the soldiers Orphsn
schools sud Gen. Lou,s wagner. tho
Inspector Of the same.


schools sud Gen. Louts wagner, the
Inspector Of the s,me.
Rev. DR.. T.. r. Higbee superintendent OF |
public instruction ana superintendent OF !
soldiers orphan schools has written al elsb-
orate defense against the charges preferred
in his management Of the soldiers orphan
schools These charges, brought IN the re.
port by Inspector Louis Wagner, were putt
lished some time ago aud attracted much al.
tention. Dr. Higbee says he takes his pres
ent course " because serious charges have
been wAntonly made y hich should I've met Al
once, and which would have been 50 met be-
fore this, had not domestic snliction made 1t |
impossible. The charge of physical dsa-
bility l can only answer 10y chsracterizing it |
~ silly and impertiment. But WAS much |
surprised to find IN the report q serious |
charge OF official dishonor involved in the |
following statement: 49, Sererdl |
drafts Of contracts and Of schedules OF rates |
aud regulations, all Of iohich hare been
pigeon.koied at the department. No drafts
Of contracts hare ercr reached me or the dc
purtHent orer tchich / am superintendent"
Then follows q batch OF oil cial correspond.
ence between DR.. Higbee Governor Pattisou,
Gen. Wagner and the heads of the schools,
all tending TO show that every possible effort
WAS made by DR.. Higbee TO secure the sp.
proval Of rules and regulations as basis for
cou'rscts The concluding portion of the
doctors statement is reproduced in full
This schedule, upon which had spen, so
| much time, was Htrcr returned 10 me or To
| my office, approved or dsspproved ana
where 1t is now pigeon holed " l know
| not
repeat No drafts of contracts have ever
been forwarded TO my office, either from the
1 AVo Vossnt a nr att in
| although, even against my Judgment, was
| willing to put such contracts in force, and
asked that they be framed by the legal
| authority OF the commonwealth.
| Now, knowing that Inspector Wagner was
| familiar with all this himself having taken
part in il, Was surprised (snd who would
| net be y at the statement quoted above from
| his report l had some faint hope that 10y
the ambiguous term department" the in.
| sxctor did not mean the department OF
soldiers orphan schools Hence | wrote
him the following letter, which, under the
| circu Instances as now know them, l regard
rs even more than courteous
LANCASTER, May I, lSs7.
| GENERAL Louis WAGNER-D Dear .Slr
My son Is trembling between lite and DEATH
with scarcely a hope OF recovery, necessi-
tssing my continued absence from the office
| at Harrisburg. On this account | have not
read your final report l am told, however,
that you assert that regulations for the :. q.
| schools, or documents pertaining thereto
have been "Pigeonholed in the depart.
ment" Do you refer 10 the department
over which am Superintendent, or to the
executive department? l deem no apology
needed Tor insisting, As l now do upon
prompt and positive answer.
Yours truly,
T. l.. HIGEEE.
To this letter l received the following vague
reply:
| PHILADELPHIA, MAY :. lss7.
PROF. T.. +. HIGBEE, ID. D.-Dedr Ntr.
Yours OF the 4ih inst received. | sm very
sorry to hear OF your sons illness, but hope
for his early recovery.
| Until you are able to again go to Harrisburg
| you had better let the matter of my report
rest When you read it, you will mud it 50
| di' ect that you will have no question as to
my reference to the department.
| Yours truly,
| Louis WAGNER.
Rot satisfied with such An answer (and
who having common sense could be ?J sent
him the following letter, which thought
might bring some answer:
LANCASTER, Mays, lsS7.
| GENERAL WAGSHR:
Dear SIR My son is slowly dying, and |
fear will not survive this Sunday. Your let.
. | ter gives me no satisfaction Whatever. / have
only time and disposition to say that If you
mean that | have pigeon. holed any docu
ments, or that my department has without
the fullest consideration thereof, done II, 1t is
deliberate tatsehood, and | shall so pu bicy
| declare II Ss soon as can return to my office.
| Yours truly,
f. f. HIGBEE.
| To this letter I received the following in
| solent and unmannered reply:
PHILADELPHIA, Nay II, lss7.
| PRcF. L. Z. HIG eEE ID. D., Lancaster, Pu
Dear Sir Yours Sth inst received. fear
that my thought that your inability to ull
/ the place you hold arose from age and phys
icsl intirmlty, was an error, and that your
troubles are caused not only by physical but
also by mental dyspepsia In view of this
and out OF respect to your profession OF
| not retort in kind to your language OF "A
| bully and q blsckguard, and in ackuowledg-
| Ing your letter content myself with the hO,e
that you will some day be- thoroughly
| Yours truly, LOUIS WAGSER.
This last reply ends our correspondence,
| but reveals very clearly the true animus OF
| all the charges. Playing the role OF superin.
tendent under the title OF inspector, he at last
| throws In my face his assured conviction
that sm mentally and physically incspsci.
| tated for the work Of my office, and have de.
scended to the manners of bully and black
guard. Who Is this pedsntic mental and ply
| sical giant, who with such lordly spirit
| searches 30 closely for the mote that may Ds
| In his brothers eye but fails to see the beam
| that Ii in his own eye?
| Posing before the state tor many months as
| the chivalric defender OF outraged orphans
| even be should have grown tired OF the farce
| at last and got down from his pede stal OF hum
| bug But doubtless he thought himself re-
| paid many times in the extraordinary amount
| OF free advertising OF General Wagner" that
has attended his brief and iIfreg uent visits to
the schoOla His inspection has been remark.
| able chiefly for its large promise and little
| performance. Ostensibly the service was
undertaken for chsrity"--but that charity
| which - always self-seeking, always yaunt-
ing itself, and letting the lett hand know
what the right hand doeth, is too ostentstious
| TO be genuine.
| As D the system OF schools which he Is
modestiy represented IS having reconstruct
| ed, and the individual schools which he is
said TO have regenerated, no one connected
with the management OF either has the slight.
est knowledge of such service rendered Tue
system Il the same rs that OF ten years ago
the schools are the same As before InspecInr
wagner WAS in any way connected with
them They were good schools-deseryedly
the pride OF q PATRIOTIC stale-beiOre MI Los.